Auction Information

Buyer's Premium 

All lots purchased are subject to a Buyer's Premium of 30% of the hammer price of each lot (25% plus VAT), subject to a minimum commission charge per lot of £6.00 (£5.00 plus VAT). 

All lots purchased online, using Batemans' own live bidding service via www.batemans.com, are subject to a Buyer's Premium of 30.00% of the hammer price of each lot (25.00% plus VAT), subject to a minimum charge per lot of £6.00 (£5.00 plus VAT). 

All lots purchased online, using our live bidding service via www.the-saleroom.com, are subject to a Buyer's Premium of 35.94% of the hammer price of each lot (29.95% plus VAT), subject to a minimum charge per lot of £6.00 (£5.00 plus VAT). 

All lots purchased online, using our live bidding service via www.easyliveauction.com, are subject to a Buyer's Premium of 33.60% of the hammer price of each lot (28.00% plus VAT), subject to a minimum charge per lot of £6.00 (£5.00 plus VAT); alternatively bidders can choose to pay ELA directly a £3.00 flat fee for unlimited bidding in that sale, and therefore would pay to Batemans a Buyer's Premium of 30.00% of the hammer price of each lot (25.00% plus VAT), subject to a minimum charge per lot of £6.00 (£5.00 plus VAT), on top of the £3.00 already paid to ELA.

Important Note: For some categories of items sold, most often second hand books, VAT is not required to be charged on the Buyer's Premium. The Buyer's Premium on these lots will therefore be reduced.

Lot Descriptions and Condition

While every care has been taken by Batemans in the preparation of our catalogue, any statement as to authorship, attribution, origin, date, age, size, medium, weight, provenance, condition or estimated selling price is a statement of opinion and is NOT to be taken as a statement or representation of fact.

There is rarely any reference in our catalogues to the physical condition of any lot. All items are sold 'as seen' and Batemans will not accept items returned to us due to the condition of a lot not being as a buyer expected.

Prospective buyers are therefore strongly advised to examine personally any goods in which they are interested before the auction takes place. Buyers are responsible for satisfying themselves concerning the condition of the goods and matters referred to in the catalogue description. 

If you are unsure of a lot or its condition, do not bid on the lot. If you do, be aware that you are taking a risk and all responsibility rests with you!

Condition Reports

For bidders unable to attend our saleroom to inspect personally any goods in which they are interested, we can offer to provide a condition report. Our catalogue descriptions do not include any reference to condition and all items are sold on an 'as seen' basis. Condition reports are a statement of our Valuers' opinion, and not to be taken as fact. Batemans will not be held responsible for any omissions or mistakes made in a condition report. If you want to be certain, you must come to view any items you are interested in.

To request a condition report please contact us on 01780 766466 or email us at info@batemans.com

We will take your request and contact details in order to provide you with further information via email. Our valuers aim to complete condition reports as soon as possible but please bear in mind that there will often be a delay, even several days, as they deal with many similar requests. They will always aim to complete all condition reports before the Sale Day.

We cannot provide condition reports on the day of the sale.

Estimates

Pre sale estimates are intended only as a guide for intending purchasers and are given in good faith.

Payments

Important Notes: 

*** WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY PAYMENTS BY TELEPHONE OR BY EMAIL ***

*** IF YOUR INVOICE TOTAL IS MORE THAN £500 YOU CAN ONLY PAY BY ELECTRONIC BANK TRANSFER IF YOU WISH TO PAY REMOTELY ***

*** YOU ARE WELCOME TO PAY IN PERSON AND COLLECT - HOWEVER PLEASE BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TO DO THIS ***

Payments can conveniently be made remotely by clicking on the link within the invoice email we send to successful bidders. Buyers can ‘Click here to view and pay this invoice.’ to show your invoice for item(s) purchased and to give secure payment and enquiry options - there is an invoice payment limit of £500 using this method, i.e. if your invoice total is more than £500 you can only pay by Bank Transfer or In Person.

Payment can easily be made by our preferred method of electronic bank transfer. Instructions and details of our client funds account are provided on the invoice email we send to successful bidders, or on direct request.

Please be advised that payments by any foreign debit or credit cards incur a 3% surcharge.

We do not accept American Express or Diners Club cards.

Payment will also be accepted by cash (up to approximately £7,500)

Collection

All items must be collected within THREE WEEKS of the sale date. Whilst we can sometimes store items for longer, storage charges will apply following this period should items remain with us for longer periods.

All collections must be made BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please contact us be email or telephone to book a TIMED COLLECTION SLOT or you can book your own collection slot using our online booking page here:

www.batemans.com/appointments

Please do not turn up to our premises without a pre-booked appointment!

Packing and Shipping

Batemans only offers an in house service for smaller jewellery items, watches, medals, coins etc, and smaller group lots (generally those weighing below 2kg); the minimum charge is £15 and increases depending on difficulty and time required to pack safely. We will only send items through a secure tracked service, and will NOT send via 1st or 2nd class post.
If you think we can help with packing and shipping please contact our office by email or telephone, or by using the ‘Request Postage Quote’ button when you click through to view your invoice as described above in 'Payments'.

This service however is undertaken entirely at the buyer's risk. Whilst we endeavour to pack items as well as we can, we will NOT be held responsible for any damage or loss to items sent. By paying for our in house packing and shipping service the buyer agrees that any items sent are entirely at the buyer's risk and that NO compensation can be offered for any loss or damage.

Batemans is not able to offer an in house packing and shipping service for most larger items and buyers are therefore advised to contact one of the following firms to arrange collection, packing and shipping on their behalf. Otherwise we look forward to receiving successful bidders in the week after sale for collection in person - please book an appointment if you wish to visit us in person.

Artist's Resale Right

Artist's Resale Right was introduced by a European Directive in 2006 to ensure that artists receive a royalty when their work is resold by an auction house or gallery. 
This Right applies to living artists and to those who have died within the last 70 years. 
This royalty is paid by the purchaser on top of the hammer price if the sale price reaches or exceeds 1000 GBP.
The amount payable is on a sliding scale - e.g. up to 50,000 GBP, the royalty rate is 4% of the sale price. The maximum royalty a work can earn is capped at 12,500 GBP.

Opening Hours

Batemans Saleroom and Office are open BY APPOINTMENT after each Auction for Collections as follows:

Monday: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Tuesday: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Wednesday: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Thursday: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Friday: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: CLOSED

Note: Closed on Bank Holidays

How to Bid

Examination of Goods

Prospective buyers are strongly advised to examine personally any goods in which they are interested, before the auction takes place. Buyers are responsible for satisfying themselves concerning the condition of the goods and matters referred to in the catalogue description.

Viewing prior to sale is BY APPOINTMENT in the few days prior to each auction - CONTACT US to arrange a timed Viewing Appointment.

Catalogue Description

While every care has been taken by Batemans in the preparation of our catalogue, any statement as to authorship, attribution, origin, date, age, size, medium, weight, provenance, condition or estimated selling price is a statement of opinion and is not to be taken as a statement or representation of fact.

Registration & 'In Person' Bidding

From June 2024 we welcome bidders into our Saleroom during auctions to bid in person. You can simply turn up from 9:30am on Sale Day, register to bid via a bidding paddle, and attend the auction in person.

Bidding is also available via an Online Bidding platform (of which we offer THREE different options), Absentee Bidding (of which there are at least SEVEN different options and methods to choose from), and Telephone Bidding (for higher value items or particular lots).

We recognise that most people prefer the convenience of receiving an email alert and placing an online bid, rather than sitting in a Saleroom for hours for their lot to come up. The auction world has changed, Batemans with it - convenience and ease, efficiency and friendly service, are what bidders can continue to expect by using our services.

Absentee / Commission Bids

If you cannot attend the sale you can complete an absentee bidding form which instructs Batemans to bid for a lot on your behalf. This will be executed on your behalf by the auctioneer, who will purchase the lot as cheaply as possible, allowing for any reserve prices and other bids. You can also set up an account to place and track absentee bids through our website - see the 'Place a Bid' button next to each lot on the sale catalogue pages. 
Bids can also be arranged by telephoning our Saleroom Office or via email. This service is undertaken as a free service to bidders, however we cannot accept liability for failure to make a commission bid. Prospective buyers should therefore always attend personally if they wish to be certain of bidding. 
PLEASE NOTE: It is the responsibility of the bidder to contact Batemans after the completion of the sale to establish whether their bid was successful and to arrange collection and payment within the allotted five days following the sale.

We cannot accept commission bid requests on the day of the sale - these must be arranged in the days preceding the sale day.

Important Note: Bidders unknown to Batemans will be required to submit further identification, e.g. Photo-card driving licence or Passport, bids will not be processed without bidders passing our security check.

Absentee / Autobids can be setup via our own website www.batemans.com and also through the two online bidding platforms we use the-saleroom.com and easyliveauction.com which are carried out by those websites rather than Batemans. Please remember that additional fees are charged (see Buyer's Premium section above) for using these services.

Telephone Bids

For lots estimated over £100 Batemans can arrange to contact bidders to enable them to participate in the bidding by telephone. This can be arranged by telephoning our Saleroom Office or via email. This service is undertaken as a free service to bidders, however we cannot accept liability for failure to make a telephone bid. Prospective buyers should therefore always attend personally if they wish to be certain of bidding. 

We cannot accept telephone bid requests on the day of the sale - these must be arranged in the days preceding the sale day.

Important Note: Bidders unknown to Batemans will be required to submit further identification, e.g. Photo-card driving licence or Passport, bids will not be processed without bidders passing our security check.

Online Bids

With the appropriate internet connection and computer equipment you can bid 'live' online in all of our auctions from your own home, or even out and about on your mobile phone! You can both see and hear the auctioneer in our Stamford saleroom selling each lot during every sale within the bidding web page, along with the current lot, description, estimates, and bid offered.
We will be pleased to explain in more detail or help guide you into the exciting world of Online Bidding should you need a little help - just give us a call!

Live online bidding is available for each sale at batemans.com, pre-registration is required. You can register for live bidding and other forms of bidding at the same time should you wish.

Live online bidding is available for each sale at the-saleroom.com, pre-registration is required. You can register for live bidding and other forms of bidding at the same time should you wish.

Live online bidding is also available for each sale at easyliveauction.com, pre-registration is required. You can register for live bidding and other forms of bidding at the same time should you wish.

Important Note: Batemans' results issued by our office are definitive. Results shown on an online bidders 'Winning Bids' page may not indicate a true auction result. Should the operator (of the-saleroom.com or easyliveauction.com sale management console) make an error in recording sale results this would lead to an online bidder incorrectly 'winning' or 'not winning' a lot. Should any confusion arise please contact our Saleroom Office on 01780 766466.

Important Note: The online bidding platforms (via batemans.com, the-saleroom.com or easyliveauction.com) can very occasionally experience unexpected freezing and outage, often depending on the quality and speed of a bidders' internet connection. Whilst Batemans strives to minimise any problems please be patient should any errors ever occur.

For further detail and information please refer to our full Terms & Conditions